Bio
Stephen Philip Harvey is a boundary-pushing saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator, and radio producer whose work bridges jazz traditions with the pulse of contemporary Black American music. A dynamic bandleader and recording artist, Harvey leads a range of forward-thinking ensembles including his electric quintet Sphinx, chordless trio SPH+2, mid-sized contemporary ensemble the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8), and his critically acclaimed large ensemble, the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra (SPHJO). Across all projects, Harvey crafts music described by trumpeter Sean Jones as “a beautiful pairing of the complex and the elementary.”
Harvey’s growing discography reflects a multifaceted artistic voice rooted in improvisation, groove, and cross-genre fluency. His most recent album, Multiversal: Live at Bop Stop (2025), showcases SPHJO’s cinematic breadth in a powerful live setting. This followed a trio of 2024 releases: Live at Radio Artifact and Elemental (Live) with the Stephen Philip Harvey Octet (SPH8), and Library Card with SPH+2. In 2023, he released the eponymous debut of Sphinx, his electronic quintet, along with the Little Gifts EP (SPH+2) and Elemental (SPH8). Earlier works include the big band statement Smash! (2022) and his debut album Suite Childhood (2016). Together, these recordings—most issued through his label Hidden Cinema Records—demonstrate his bold orchestration, personal storytelling, and restless creativity.
His compositions have been performed by ensembles across the U.S. and abroad, including the Orchestre National de Jazz (Paris, FR), National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Peabody Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, University of North Texas, and New York University, among others. In 2021, he collaborated with NEA Jazz Master Roscoe Mitchell on Conversation for Orchestra, performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and SEM Ensemble. Mitchell calls Harvey “an exceptional musician with a very bright future.”
Critics have praised Harvey’s work for its fearless range and emotional immediacy. DownBeat Magazine describes him as “a straight-ahead band room swinger with an ear for making four horns sound like a kicking big band,” noting his skillful command of ensemble writing and energetic soloing. All About Jazz highlighted his “audacious conception” and genre-blurring orchestrations, while Dark Blue Notes called his soprano saxophone tone and expression “not easily matched by today’s saxophonists.”
As an educator, Harvey currently teaches at Salisbury University and Youngstown State University. He regularly appears as a guest artist, clinician, and composer-in-residence throughout the United States. His work in music education spans K–12 classrooms, university settings, and national conferences.
Harvey’s achievements have been recognized through numerous awards and honors. In 2024, he received the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award from Seton Hill University, where he earned his B.M. in Music Education. He holds an M.M. in Jazz Studies from Youngstown State University, where he was named a Young Scholar Award recipient in 2016. Additional honors include multiple Creativity Grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, a Jazz Roads Grant from South Arts, selection for the Young Jazz Composers Showcase by the Jazz Education Network, and research and travel support from Salisbury University.
In July 2025, Harvey will begin a new chapter as Music Director at 91.3 WESM, Delmarva Public Media’s jazz and blues station. In this role, he will host a daily jazz radio broadcast, write jazz reviews, produce programs and podcasts focused on Black American Music, and curate live performances in the Delmarva region.
Through each endeavor—whether on stage, in the studio, in the classroom, or behind the mic—Stephen Philip Harvey is shaping a vital and inclusive vision for the future of jazz: bold, rooted, and unmistakably his own.
Stephen endorses P. Mauriat saxophones.
Quotes
“Stephen is an exceptional musician with a very bright future.”
“Sophisticated accessibility! When I listen to Stephen Harvey’s music, that’s what hear. Thoughtful construction of complex structures and orchestrations that take the listener on a beautiful sonic ride without speaking over their heads. A beautiful pairing of the complex and the elementary.”
“There’s a fine indiscipline to Harvey’s big band writing. Ominous horror-film riffs sit comfortably alongside soaring album-rock guitar solos, urgent, cop-show horn fanfares and creamy unison sax-section passages straight out of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra’s book. It’s a fridge-raid omelette of sounds held together by the audaciousness of Harvey’s conception and the joy with which his players bring it to life.”
“Harvey performs with a strong personality. He will say it with his tenor. There are no words, but his soprano’s flexibility, strong tone, and direct expression cannot be easily matched by today’s saxophonists.”
“Harvey’s arrangements emphasize riffs and melodies over improvisation, though he certainly leaves room for his crew to express themselves when called upon. But his focus on tunes keeps the songs effervescent and accessible.”
